Layered materials are very useful in broad applications. For example, graphene and nanoplate graphite offer excellent electronic, thermal, and mechanical properties which make them desirable for use in various electronic devices, e.g. as transparent electrodes or conductive films (e.g. for electromagnetic shielding). Graphene and nanoplate graphite may be particularly useful in displays, touch panels, nanocomposite materials, batteries, supercapacitors, thin-film transistors, and hydrogen-storing devices. Large area graphene or nanoplate graphite coatings can also be used as low friction coatings for many applications.
Unfortunately, the deposition of some layered materials, such as graphene and nanoplate graphite, into a large area, uniform film is difficult and expensive because these materials cannot be dispersed at a high concentration in common solvents for conventional coating methods. Conductive films can also be produced via vacuum filtration followed by transfer to the substrate. However, this procedure is complicated and uses large amounts of solvents, which can be expensive during manufacturing. Some solvents are also regulated materials, and compliance with disposal regulations further increases the costs of this procedure.
It would be desirable to develop different processes for depositing layered materials on a substrate.